Why Dry January is worth a toast

I’VE never been a fan of Dry January and the belief that you can ‘make up’ for drinking too much over the festive period by stopping for a month to give your liver a break. That’s not how it works.

If you’re worried about your drinking, it’s far better to make a commitment to moderate it in the long term rather than stopping for what is a relatively short period, and then resuming bad habits.

However, perhaps I should have a rethink. I have been reading some new research showing that a month of abstinence has a positive impact on health — but not in the way you’d imagine. It’s not your body it helps so much as your mind. Researchers at Leeds University found that while public health campaigns have traditionally focused on the negative aspects of drinking — the adverse consequences to health — to persuade people to stop, the Dry January initiative emphasises the positive benefits, such as better quality of sleep, weight loss, improvements in your skin etc.

Having experienced these, people are more likely to drink less once January is over — as confirmed by another study at Sussex University. Researchers found that people who did Dry January reported they were drinking far less seven months later. Cheers to that!

before having another six months of chemotherapy. Then I had radiotherapy to treat my lungs. In January last year, after five years, I got the all-clear.

‘During my treatment I lost all my hair and a lot of weight, too — it took a big toll on my body. I had to drop out of school for a year and I was sick and tired all the time.

‘I didn’t feel like myself for a long while. All my friends were going to birthday parties which I couldn’t go to, and I had to stop my dance classes which I loved.

‘At the prom I felt comfortable in my own skin for the first time since my treatment began. It really helped boost my confidence in my own body after the toll the cancer had taken on me.’ CHARLOTTE JENNINGS, 16 CHARLOTTE lives with parents Lynne and Paul and brother Mike, 24, in Stockport, Manchester. She was diagnosed with a rare form of acute myeloid leukaemia five years ago. After a bone-marrow transplant, she spent two months in isolation due to the risk of infection. Her treatment continues.

SHE SAYS: ‘I was absent from school for about 15 months, and although I’ve got a really strong friendship group, it felt like all my friends had moved on without me, as I wasn’t well enough to do the things they were doing, such as going shopping or hanging out at each other’s houses.

‘But The Cinderella Project made me feel like a princess. Margo helped me pick out a prom dress — I was worried about the scars from my operation, but she chose one and said “It looks gorgeous”, which made me feel so comfortable in it. Then we chose a necklace that hid the scars on my neck.

‘Dad gave up work for a year to look after me and we’d never have been able to afford such a lovely dress.

‘I was named Prom Queen, which was an honour I wasn’t expecting. I got to keep the dress, too, and I wore it to my 16th birthday party.’ MELISSA SUTTON, 19 MELISSA lives in Rochdale with mum Alison, stepfather Jason, brother Daniel, 23, and boyfriend Dale, 24. She was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, Ewing’s sarcoma, in July 2014 after suffering pain in her left rib. She’s now in remission.

SHE SAYS: ‘ Chemotherapy just wiped me out. I was so sick I couldn’t eat anything. I kept getting nosebleeds, too.

‘All my hair fell out so I got a wig, but I never really wore it. I decided to embrace my baldness.

‘But I just wanted to be like every other teenager again. The hardest part about chemotherapy is knowing the world outside is carrying on without you. Seeing friends out partying while I was stuck in the hospital was tough.

‘I didn’t want to go to my school prom because I felt so low and lacking in self-esteem, but Margo stepped in and got me a beautiful white dress with a jewelled top.

‘I had my make-up done, too, and prom turned from something I was dreading into such a lovely occasion. I appreciate everything in life more now.’

n TO DONATE to The Cinderella Project visit runway on the runway. co.uk Additional reporting: Lucy Laing